Posts Tagged With: disney restaurant

As you probably already know, last weekend the new Beauty And The Beast Live Action movie was released in theaters. I was lucky enough to get to go see it, and I loved it – the characters were amazing – especially the beast! The movie will bring about a whole new generation of Beauty And The Beast lovers – and Disney World is more than prepared for that! When they re-designed Fantasyland, they included a restaurant themed after the movie called “Be Our Guest” – and it is basically like walking into the movie! Check it out:

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with a French-themed menu, featuring items like Croque Monsieur (grilled ham and cheese sandwich), Tuna Nicoise Salad, and of course – “The Grey Stuff” is offered on the dessert menu (try your hand at making your own Grey Stuff At Home!)

While it is labeled as a “Quick Service” Restaurant, I would recommend making a reservation if you’re planning to head here – as the lines can be insane, and it will only get busier with the release of the new movie! I can’t wait to try it out next time I’m in WDW!

It’s a beautiful place – large, well-kept campsites, great pools, tons of wooded trails, and maybe best of all it’s quiet and peaceful – it’s a great place to relax and enjoy nature, and best of all you’re in the middle of all the Disney action!

The nightly fireside sing sing along and movie is a great family activity – and oh – did I mention it’s hosted by Chip and Dale? I LOVED this as a kid – getting snacks and singing songs and then watching a Disney movie – doesn’t get any better than that!

Fresh nature air makes me hungry – so I like to head over to Trail’s End – the on-site restaurant that serves up a delicious buffet of items like fried chicken and biscuits (there’s a lot more than that, but those are my favorites and they still make me drool to this day!)

If you’re not sure about the whole camping/”roughing it” thing – don’t worry, Disney’s got you covered – you can stay in one of their cabins which include electricity, a TV, a bathroom, and a kitchen (utensils/cookware included!) – so you can still stay in nature, but with all the comforts of home

We stayed at Fort Wilderness a bunch of times when I was younger – I loved everything about it, and can’t wait to go back with my son when he’s older. It’s a great Resort choice for those who don’t want to stay in a traditional “hotel” room, plus you can’t beat the scenery!

Our Walt Disney World Family Christmas Adventure may still be over 7 months away, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start planning – especially since our ADR day is only a month away!

First you may wonder – what the heck is an ADR day? It’s that magical day that occurs 180 days before your WDW arrival, where you can either go online and call the fine folks at Disney Dining and make your trip dining selections!

You also might not be entirely sure what an ADR is – it stands for Advance Dining Reservation, and how it works is you select a time to eat at your fave Disney restaurants, and when you arrive at that time, your name will be first called once a table becomes available for your party

Ok, so now that we are all clear on what makes this 180 day mark so special, we can get down to business! For us, a party of 4 adults, we want to make sure we are picking a variety of places – family friendly character meals as well as places that offer new and exciting cuisine, and also places that might be a little more “adult” friendly (aka – have a good wine selection!). Also, since we will be there on Christmas, we want to at least try and have some kind of familiar “holiday” meal, similar to what we would have at home.

So we sat down, talked it out, and utilized some menus to decide what we really wanted to experience when it came to our WDW dining experience

Our Final Choices?

-Via Napoli for Lunch – wood fired pizzas, wine and other Italian treats over in Epcot’s World Showcase

-Raglan Road for Dinner – This has turned into a “must do” – the atmosphere, entertainment, beer selection, and amazing Irish eats have been amazing every time, without fail

-1900 Park Fare for Breakfast – This is a “new” one for us (“new” meaning we haven’t been in about 20 years so none of us remember it!) – we are excited to spend time with the Alice In Wonderland characters and sample some delicious breakfast buffet items over at WDW’s beautiful Grand Floridian Resort

-Liberty Tree Tavern for Christmas Eve Dinner – Turkey and all the fixin’s are a perfect choice for a family holiday meal – and the rustic old American theming of the restaurant located in the Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square is a great place to feel happy and at home!

-Boma for Dinner – This has also become a “must do” for our family – at first I must admit I was hesitant to bring my family here, unsure of how they would react to the authentic African cuisine – but they LOVED it – and we will definitely be back for more unique salads, hummus, and bobotie (my personal fave – an egg based beef and lamb dish that is to die for!)

-Crystal Palace for Breakfast – This has been a “must do” for over 20 years for my family – the delicious food and amazing characters make it the perfect way to start a day at the Magic Kingdom. Pose with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet as you sample Poohs Breakfast Lasagna, Mickey Waffles, and much much more (bottom line – you won’t leave hungry!)

-Ohana for Dinner – Another “new” addition to our dining agenda, I have been wanting to try this one for a while (pretty much since I heard that they serve warm banana bread pudding for dessert!). This all you care to eat family style restaurant at WDW’s Polynesian Resort serves up Asian inspired meats, veggies, and rice in a relaxed, tropical setting

Now all I need to do is wait a month to make the ADR’s….then just another 6 months until I am back at my favorite place!

What do you think – Do you have any places you have to eat at/want to eat at/want to try while vacationing at WDW?

I am a HUGE baking fan – I love it so much that I even have a blog dedicated to my baking adventures. I am also a huge fan of Food Network, Top Chef, and basically anything food related – and I know there are a lot of foodies out there like me who love recreating dishes from their favorite resturants at home.

And since Disney has some of the best food in the world, it’s only natural that there are people out there trying to recreate those amazing tastes at home!

One of my personal faves? The Butterfinger Cupcake at Starring Roles Cafe in Disney’s Hollywood Studios – this thing is EPIC – a moist chocolate cake with a gooey fudge center, vanilla frosting, a chocolate shell, and butterfinger pieces – who wouldn’t to make these at home?

Using a sharp knife, cut a circle out on top of the cupcake. Make your cut go about halfway into the cupcake. Remove the cake chunk and fill the hole will fudge frosting (I used two spoons to scoop the frosting into the hole). Invert the cupcake chunk on top of the fudge frosting – you want the extra cake to be sticking up.

Prepare the buttercream frosting. Mix together all the ingredients and beat on medium for 3 minutes, until fluffy. Transfer frosting into a piping bag and pipe frosting on top of the cupcakes, covering the cake chunk. Let the frosting set up for 30 minutes.

While the frosting is setting up, crush the Butterfingers in the food processor until completely pulverized. **I froze the Butterfingers and crushed them frozen.**

Combine chocolate chips and oil in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat on HIGH for 1 minute. Stir and continue to heat at 30 second intervals until completely melted. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before using. (You might want to do this in two batches so the chocolate doesn’t harden while you dip the cupcakes) Dip the frosted cupcakes into the chocolate – I used a spoon to hold the frosting into place to make sure it didn’t fall off the cupcake. Immediately coat the cupcake with the pulverized Butterfingers – just smash it all over the chocolate. Repeat until all cupcakes are dipped and covered. Refrigerate approximately 1 hour to allow the chocolate to set up.

There are plenty of Disney recipes out there, available online or in Disney cookbooks, so check some out and recreate that “Disney Magic” at your dinner table tonight!